Therapy for chronic pain & trauma in Smithtown, NY
Virtual services available throughout New York state
Move Beyond the Pain.
Trauma and Chronic Pain Therapy for teens and adults who are tired of feeling strong on the outside and exhausted on the inside
Kathryn Graham, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
You’re constantly on alert for something that may go wrong, whether it be with your body or your circumstances. You may not remember what it feels like to relax, to anticipate safety, and to feel completely comfortable in your own body. At the end of the day, you feel exhausted from the mental preparations and from pushing your body beyond your comfort zone.
Therapy is a space where you can learn to trust yourself again, to feel safe, to let go of worries, and begin engaging in meaningful activities again so that you can feel more like yourself, not as though you are defined by your symptoms.
Meet Kathryn Graham, Ph.D.
Chronic Pain and Trauma Therapist in Smithtown, New York
Virtual Services Available throughout New York State
Hi there! I’m Kathryn. I help teens and adults experiencing chronic pain or who are recovering from the impacts of trauma learn to feel safer in their bodies, trust the signals their bodies are sending them, learn to relax, and feel more comfortable and confident.
As a therapist who experiences chronic pain, this work is personal to me. I understand what it’s like to question your own abilities, to carry shame and guilt about your experiences, to slowly lose trust in your instincts and your body’s signals, and to worry about the future. I bring these experiences with me into the therapy space and approach your situation with understanding, compassion, and respect for your experiences, goals, and desired pace.
You deserve to trust in your body, to sleep comfortably at night, and to not have to worry about past traumas or about future pain. My goal is to help you feel more confident in your choices, to feel comfortable advocating for your needs, and for you to live the life you want to lead, not the life your pain dictates.
My Therapy Specialties
Anxiety Therapy
Anxiety is often characterized by feeling stuck in a thought spiral, feeling an intense surge of adrenaline in your body, and/or strong urges to avoid or prevent specific situations. Whether you find yourself experiencing an impending sense of doom, frequent panic attacks, nagging worries, or specific intense fears about contamination, loss, disasters, etc., we’ll work together to understand your fears, learn effective coping skills, how to recognize and challenge unhelpful anxious thoughts, and face your fears.
Trauma Therapy
Traumas can come in the form of singular events in which you experienced strong fears for your safety or the safety of loved ones or they can come from a prolonged period of neglect, maltreatment, or abuse as you were growing up. Regardless of the source, we’ll focus on understanding your body’s response to the trauma and learn effective emotion regulation skills, how to recognize and challenge unhelpful thought patterns that may be keeping you stuck, and learn skills for building more effective social relationships that respect and value your needs.
Therapy for Teens
Teens often regulate their emotions differently than adults, and can either over-rely on trusted supporters or shut down to avoid facing an anxiety-provoking situation or object through any means necessary. I work directly with teens as well as directly with parents to teach skills for recognizing strong emotions, learn effective emotion regulation skills, how to recognize and challenge unhelpful negative thoughts, and gradually face the feared scenarios.
Chronic Pain Therapy
Pain is considered chronic when it lingers for at least three months. Common causes of chronic pain include back problems, fibromyalgia, migraines, nerve damage, arthritis, and post-surgical complications. Many people living with chronic pain experience a loss of mental and emotional wellbeing as they navigate the physical changes brought on by pain. We’ll focus on recognizing and challenging unhelpful thought patterns, gradually begin engaging in more activities, and focus on relaxation and stress reduction skills to increase your sense of self-confidence and improve your quality of life.
Depression Therapy
Depression is often not just feelings of sadness, but a sense of emptiness, feelings of exhaustion, and feeling a lack of hope or meaning. Events and activities that used to bring you joy may not feel engaging anymore, leading to feeling stuck and isolated. We’ll focus on gradually increasing your daily activities and social relationships and on recognizing and challenging unhelpful thought patterns that are keeping you stuck in a depressive state.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
—Arthur Ashe
Change in one area,
often leads to changes in others
Therapy With Me Is
Skills-oriented
Being curious about your patterns and pushing yourself to change
Tailored to you- I provide the treatment plan, but we proceed at your pace and comfort level
Compassionate and strengths-focused
Realistic
Starting Therapy Together
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01.
I offer every new client a free 15-minute phone consultation. It’s your chance to ask questions and share what you would like to work on. I’ll share a likely treatment plan so that you can decide if you would like for us to work together.
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02.
If you decide we’re a fit we’ll have a first intake session. These are an hour and will focus on going deeper into your history and current concerns so that we can solidify your treatment goals and plans. I’ll focus on introducing at least one coping skill at the end of this intake session.
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03.
Your therapy sessions are tailored to your unique goals and challenges, offering a space to gain insight, build skills, and create change. We’ll typically start with skills to regulate emotions then shift to skills for recognizing and challenging unhelpful thought patterns, and making behavioral changes.